Combined shoe stretcher and tree



A. B. ELMSTROM.

COMBINED SHOE STRETCHER AND TREE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20, I920- Patented May 9, 1922.

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ANSHELM BURTON ELMS'IBO-M,

COMBINED SHOE srnnrcnnn AND TREE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

OF MALDEN, MASSACHUSETTS.

Application filed November 20, 1920. Serial No. 425,399.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ANsHELM BURTON ELMsrRoM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Maiden, in the countyof Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented anew and useful Combined Shoe Stretcher and Tree, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a combined shoe stretcher and tree by the use of which a shoe may be simultaneously stretched both laterally and longitudinally.

It is the object of my invention to improve the 'construction of such combination stretchers and trees, as heretofore known, making them more convenient in operation and more effective in use. With this general object in view an important feature of my invention relates to the provision of a single operating rod of unusual construction having a screw thread of one pitch for actuating the stretcher mechanism and having a similar screw thread but of a different pitch for longitudinally separating the heel piece from the stretcher blocks.

Another feature of my invention relates to the provision of a separable nut in the heel piece by the use of which-the parts may be readily adjusted to difi'erent sizes of shoes.

preferred form of my invention is shown in the drawings in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of my improved stretcher and tree, partially broken away to show the interior construction of the stretcher;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view taken along the line 3-3 in Fig. 2, and

1g. 4 is a perspective view of the two parts of the separable nut.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown a shoe stretcher of commercial form comprising two last'blocks 10 and 11 joined at their rear ends by a spring plate 12 forming a hinge connection between the blocks and allowing a considerable lateral separation of the blocks at their front ends. A threaded nut 13 is pivotally mounted in aligned openings 14 in the blocks 10 and 11. An operating rod 15 is provided at its front end with a wedge 16, disposed in grooves or recesses 17 formed in the adjacent faces of the last blocks 10 and 11 and gradually decreasing in depth toward thelr front ends.

The rod 15 is provided with screw threads 18 I fitting the nut 13. By

may be forced forrateiited m '9, 1 922.-

ward' along the grooves 17, spreading the last blocks in the usual way. The parts thus far described may be of any usual form and in themselves constitute no part of my pres-.

ent invention.

In addition to-the parts already described, I provide a heel piece 20 having a recess 21 in which the two parts of a separable nut 22 are pivoted at 23. A spring 24 (Fig. 3) yieldingly holds the two parts of the nut in closed position. The rear portion of the actuating rod 15' is provided with screw threads 25 of the same hand as the threads 18 but ofsteeper pitch these threads fitting the separable nut 22. As shown herein, the threads 25 are of double pitch. 7

Having described the construction'of my improved stretcher and tree, the operation and advantages thereof will be readily apparent. After the device is placed in a shoe, the upwardly projecting portions of the separable nut 22 are pressed toward each other to separate the two parts of the nut, thus permitting the heel piece to be moved freely back against the heel of the shoe. The parts of the nut are then released and again engage the threads 25. As the rod 15 is turned, the wedge 16 is forced forward to spread the last blocks 10 and 11 and the heel piece 20 is simultaneously forced rearwardly, thus seating the combined stretcher and tree firmly in the shoe.

Having thus described my invention, it will be evident that changes and modificas tions can be made therein by those skilled in the art within the spirit and scope of my invention as set forth in the claims and I do not wish to be otherwise limited to the details hereindisclosed but what I do claim 1s:

1. A combined shoe stretcher and tree comprising two connected but laterally separable last blocks, a threaded nut mounted in definiterelation to said blocks, a heel piece having a separable nut mounted there- 2. A combination shoe stretcher and tree comprising two laterally separable last" 1n, and an operating rod having a thread having separated upper blocks a threaded member fixed longitudinally relative to said blocks, an operating rod threaded to fit said memloer a heel pleoe which the threaded rod extends, and a separable nut having portions pivotally mounted to swing transversely of the rod between flanges through 

